The Boswell Sisters (Women in Jazz)

It was lucky that the Boswell Sisters were brought up in New Orleans. With their natural musical talent and training combined with exposure to southern gospel and New Orleans blues, the sisters became the best jazz vocal group of their time - and perhaps of all time. See their performance of the Heebie Jeebies , and you will see that this last statement is no exaggeration.

Their influence on the Andrews Sisters is obvious. Ella Fitzgerald loved their music and developed her own singing style from Connee Boswell's. Connee, the middle child, (1907-1976), like Ella , could use her voice as a trumpet or oboe. All three sisters played instruments, but it is their vocal harmonies that really set them apart.

Martha, the eldest (1905-1958) who also played piano, described the sisters' harmonies this way:

"If we sang according to orthodox musical traditions, Vet (1911-1988) would be the high voice or soprano, I would be the middle or alto, and Connie would be the low, or contralto. But we don't sing in the orthodox musical way....Instead, when we sing as a trio we achieve an unusual...effect by deserting our own particular tone and singing in another tone. We call that blending." (from the fan site Bozzies.com)

The sisters began their career in vaudeville during their early teens, and made their first record in 1925. In 1930 they moved to New York and first gained national attention when they broadcast their own radio program. Their major recording contract was with Brunswick Records. They made many recordings between 1930 and 1935 with this label, which was a highly regarded jazz label of the time. The musicians with whom the Boswells worked and recorded during this period included Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers, and Benny Goodman.

In the 1936, the sisters moved to Decca Records, but disbanded as group after only 3 Decca recordings. Connee continued to have a successful recording career with Decca. Throughout her career, Connee sang from a seated position due to an accident she had as a young child. Because of her disability, she was not accepted as a performer on U.S.O. tours during World War II.

The Boswell Sisters were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2001, a major musical about their lives, The Boswell Sisters was produced in San Diego.